Bunny pulled out nail clippers, mascara, lip gloss, blush, moist wipes, face powder, her wallet, an iPod, and her Swiss Army knife. “Oh, yeah, and I have this, too.” She pulled out a bottle of pepper spray. “One squirt of this and—”
Winston squinted and covered his eyes with the back of one hand. “Please put that stuff away. I’ve been sprayed with that stuff by mistake before and it burns like bloody hell.”
“I guess I better so you can see the road.” Bunny wondered what she’d done to deserve such a perfect day—being taken away to a beachside home by a kind man who also happened to be the most attractive male on Earth.
She cleared her throat imagining what would happen once they were alone together in the house.
Jason had never really made love to her, he’d only used her body to fulfill his own needs. The thought of an intimate encounter with Winston sent a rush of moisture between her thighs. She imagined he’d be considerate and give every inch of her body special attention. She imagined his beautifully shaped lips licking and suckling her breasts before they trailed down to the apex between her thighs.
She squirmed in her seat, worried her wetness would show on the backside of her dress. Winston nodded toward a wooden house that sat by the beautiful blue bay that broadened out in front of them. “That’s my place. I hope you like it.”
“How could I not—it’s got a gorgeous view. You must just love it here.”
“Yeah, I enjoy it very much. You can see the ocean from almost every room. And the water’s calm here most of the time. We can swim later, if it seems safe.”
“I would like that. It’s turning out to be such a beautiful afternoon.”
He pulled the car into a garage, turned off the ignition and stepped around to open her door. “Can I give you a hand? I’m afraid if you try to stand with that heavy purse, your legs might give out beneath you.”
Bunny slipped her fingers into his, feeling her face warm at his magnetic touch. “Thanks. But I’m used to heaving this stuff around—I’m not as weak as I look.”
“Oh, I don’t think you look weak at all. You nearly wrenched my arm off when you pulled me inside your hotel room.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just feeling a little sensitive lately.”
Winston pulled open the door and held the door, motioning her into the house. “Come on in and make yourself at home.”
Once she stepped inside, he gripped her arm and turned her toward him. His green eyes sparkled and as if by instinct she drew in closer to him.
He skimmed his hand up and down her arm. “Give yourself a chance to move forward. Forgive yourself for what’s happened and just be the person you want to be from now on.”
She paused, unsure of how to answer. “I know you’re right. And I appreciate your being so patient and understanding.”
Once he released her arm, she walked across the hardwood floor and peered around the handsomely furnished living room.
“What’s happened already is out of your control. But today and tomorrow are all up to you. For starters, why don’t you let me show you the rest of the house?”
“That would be great.” The picture windows provided stunning views of the turquoise sea. Bunny stepped closer to the glass, admiring the dance of sunlight on the water until she thought about what she might see through the windows at night. She imagined one of those evil men’s faces staring through the glass at her before the window shattered and the man grabbed her by the throat.
As Winston walked up behind her, tingly energy climbed up her back. His breath tickled her neck. “You’re a tad quiet all of a sudden. I bet you’re wondering how windows like this could keep those buggers out.”
“Yeah, kind of.”
“Watch this.” He walked toward where the curtains hung from either side of the window and pulled them back. Behind them was an accordion of metal. “At night, I stretch these collapsible metal bars across all the windows and lock them. I usually lock them when I leave the house, too, but Tas does a rather good job of scaring people so I wasn’t too worried. He must be sound asleep at the moment, though. He usually greets me when he’s not.”
“Who is Tas?” Bunny glanced around the room trying to spot the slumbering pet. She’d been bitten by a dog once, but she figured Winston’s pet, whatever it was, couldn’t be too vicious if it didn’t even hear them come in. Maybe he’s hiding behind the sofa or one of those plump brown leather chairs.
“Tas is a dog. A Chow Chow, if you know breeds. Come and sit down. I’ll get you a glass of iced tea.”
Bunny walked tentatively toward the couch and then dropped her purse on the rugged wooden coffee table. “So he won’t bite, will he?”
Winston shook his head and offered her an endearing smile. “No, of course not. He’s only mean if you’re not supposed to be here. To my friends, he’s like a big fluffy teddy bear. At the moment, he’s sound asleep. I can hear him snoring.”
Bunny laughed, feeling more at ease as she crossed her legs and rested her back against the leather. From the kitchen, she heard the clink of ice against glass. A moment later, Winston strode in carrying two glasses of tea. He set both glasses down on coasters and sat beside her on the couch.
He picked up his glass and raised it. “Cheers. Here’s to a more relaxing rest of the day.”
Bunny picked up her glass. “I’ll toast to that,” she said, clinking her glass against his.
Winston sipped from his glass.
“Why do you call your dog Tas? For some reason, I’m thinking about the Tasmanian devil from cartoons with his gnashing teeth instead of a snuggly pet.”
Bunny wished the dog would introduce himself so she’d know for sure he wasn’t dangerous. Clumps of dark hair adhering to chair legs were evidence this dog was around.
“You’re still worried about him, aren’t you? Hang on a second and I’ll get him to come out. I named him Tas because he runs in circles when he’s wound up, just like the Looney Tunes character. Don’t look so surprised. Believe it or not, cartoons are quite popular with kids in England, too. But since chows are so hairy, when they move fast, hair flies in every direction. I do a lot of vacuuming around here.” Winston clapped his hands together and called out the dog’s name.
Bunny heard trotting feet on the hardwood floor before a fluffy dog with a tail curled up in a tall C appeared. He looked at her with big brown eyes lined with thick brown fur and then looked at Winston. “It’s okay, boy, she’s my friend.”
The dog inched toward Bunny, sniffing the air with his broad soft snout until his wet nose met her leg. As she reached out to pet him on the head, Tas wagged his fluffy tail.
“You might have to tell him no if you don’t want a wet one.” His gaze dropped to her vulnerable bare legs and lingered.
Bunny blushed, thinking how slick and wet her crotch felt at the moment. She hoped he couldn’t sense how aroused she was. “A wet one?”
“He likes to—”
Bunny giggled as the dog licked a bare leg. “Hey, that tickles.”
Winston grinned, licking his lips as his gaze followed her body’s contours. “He’s got good taste.”
Heat rushed to Bunny’s face. She forced a smile, trying not to let him see how much she ached for Winston’s touch, to feel his body mashed naked against hers.
Winston cleared his throat and stood to carry the empty glasses into the kitchen. He walked back into the living room. “Let me show you the rest of the house. You can shower now if you want. Otherwise, we can swim first and then clean up.”
“What if those men are out there waiting for us?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll pack my Glock in case they decide to give us trouble. There’s also very little vegetation on this coastal plain, so we should be able to spot anyone walking or driving in this direction.”
“A swim sounds great. But I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“There’s lots of clothing in your room. Follow me and I’ll show you where it is.”
She
watched his butt muscles flex as she followed him up the creaky wooden steps to the next floor.
He craned his neck to speak to her. “The house has three levels—and there are bedrooms on the second and third floor. Here’s your room.” He paused in front of a door on the second floor before pushing it open. The room was quaintly decorated with floral patterned furniture. Lacy curtains bracketed a window looking over the sea. “There are women’s clothes in the closet and plenty of towels and swimsuits in that chest of drawers.”
A wave of jealousy washed over Bunny, making her feel agitated and uncomfortably warm. When he’d said there were things to wear, she’d imagined wearing his oversized T-shirts and boxers, not his girlfriend’s clothes.
She felt irritated at herself for reacting so strongly. You barely even know him. Did you think a man so drop-dead gorgeous wouldn’t have someone else? Bunny tried to keep the tone of her voice neutral. “Are you sure your girlfriend won’t mind if I borrow her clothes?”
Winston laughed and his lips turned up in a flirtatious smile. “Relax—these are casual clothes my sister wears when she visits. She’s the only one in the family who forgave me for running away from home. She usually spends February here every year to escape England’s harsh winters. I bought most of the clothes at a local flea market. Having stuff here means she doesn’t have to haul such a heavy suitcase along. There’s a bathroom with a shower through that door where you can clean up after we get back. Go ahead and find a suit you like and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Bunny wanted to see how he’d decorated his own bedroom. “Aren’t you going to show me your room?”
“Sure. Follow me.” Bunny walked behind him to the uppermost level. He pulled open a door and placed his hand on her arm as they stepped inside. “This is it.”
Enormous sliding doors led to a balcony overlooking the ocean. He led her out on the balcony and she stood beside him, resting her hands on the railing and relishing the finger-soft touch of breeze on her face. When he turned to go inside, she followed.
A king size bed poked out from one wall. Huge tropical trees spilled out of brightly painted ceramic pots. Most of the room had been made into a comfortable sitting area where a wide-screen television was surrounded by three leather chairs. The tables and dressers accenting the room were rugged, hand-painted antiques. Woven rugs stretched across the polished hardwood floor, which shone under the afternoon sun.
“This is a beautiful room,” said Bunny. “I really like how you decorated it.”
The corners of Winston’s lips turned up in a smile. “Thank you. The house was beautiful to start with and I enjoyed picking up odds and ends to make it feel like a home. The floors are all teakwood. They needed polishing when I bought the place, but you can see they cleaned up nicely. Hand-crafted furniture is readily available here—there’s a man in Dong Hoi—his whole family keeps busy making this stuff and I’ve been a regular customer.”
Winston couldn’t have been more different from Jason. Not only was he kind and considerate, he also found home décor of interest. Jason had always said selecting furniture and wallpaper colors were for women. If she and Winston lived together, they’d probably spend hours planning how the house would look.
She tried to toss the runaway thoughts from her mind. She wondered if it was unusual to feel strong attraction to another man so soon after a previous relationship had ended. She’d heard people talk about rebound—and never in a positive way. She chided herself for imagining a relationship with Winston. He was probably only being nice because he felt obligated.
She’d stay for a day or two until it seemed clear they were safe and then she’d fly back to North Carolina. The man had done too much for her already. She couldn’t burden him any longer than absolutely necessary. But still . . . the thought of an enormous ocean separating them made her chest ache.
He laid a gentle hand on her arm. “You look distracted. Is something wrong?”
His touch made her feel giddy with excitement. “Oh, no, I’m fine.” She reprimanded herself. I have to stop reacting to his touch.
His fingers slid up her arm, tickling her senses like a soft, sensual feather. “I can tell something’s on your mind. Are you worried about your friends?”
I should be, she thought, angry with herself all over again. Kent’s request to call the men who’d set out after the smugglers popped back into her lust-inhibited brain. “Oh, crap. I almost forgot I was supposed to call someone. Can I use your phone?”
Chapter Ten
“Shh.” Kent jerked to a halt and held a finger to his lips. His facial muscles strained as he cocked his head to one side and then the other.
Rebecca couldn’t hear a thing above the roar of pummeling rain. She clung to the back of his shoulders, terrified. Snakes and four-legged creatures now struck her only as a minor worry. Ghosts haunted her mind—but they weren’t ghosts she’d read about in books that you could stick your hand through or that announced their presence through a waft of ice-cold air.
These ghosts were murderers who could stick a knife between your shoulder blades before you had a chance to cry for help.
The heavy rain clouds and thick canopy of trees threw them into darkness. Even her see-in-the-dark goggles didn’t provide much comfort. She continued to imagine ominous shapes lurking behind every tree. Tremors of fear reverberated through her body. She’d always been terrified of the dark, but walking through this forest of ghosts felt more ominous than anything she’d ever imagined. But my best friend’s life is at risk. She sucked in a few deep breaths of muggy air and vowed to focus on one soggy step at a time. If I don’t, I’ll go completely insane.
“Do you hear that?” Kent turned toward her, brushing his lips by her ear.
Rebecca heard the faint echo of voices. She nodded. “At least now we know where they are.” Her terror dropped a notch.
Kent angled his head forward. “Let’s go.” He reached for her hand. Quickening their pace, they stepped as silently as they could through the dark forest.
Soon, Rebecca glimpsed the group through a curtain of branches. She tapped on Kent’s shoulder and pointed to make sure he’d seen them. She watched the group forge their way through the forest and clenched her fists when she saw the blond haired man holding a gun to the pair’s back.
“I think it’s safe to say no one’s pursuing us,” said one of the men.
“Yeah, I agree, Grant. Let’s stop for the night. We’ll finish the trek to the cave in the morning.”
Still holding Kent’s hand, Rebecca watched the men unpack hammocks from their backpacks. It seemed like a good idea, given that the ground was soaking wet. Within minutes, they had slung them in trees.
“We don’t have enough hammocks,” said one of the men. “I guess she’ll have to bunk with me.” He grabbed Amanda by the waist and hauled her toward a tree.
“Stop that—Leave her alone.” Tom ran toward Amanda, his face dark with anger.
One of the other men grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back. The man who held Amanda ripped the front of her shirt so her bra was exposed. The others burst out in raucous laughter.
The stress of the day was too much for Rebecca. She slipped her hand from Kent’s grasp and sprang from the bushes. He lunged toward her, but she stepped out of range. “You better not lay a finger on her, you scum.”
An overweight, balding man ran up to her and pushed the barrel of his gun deep into her belly. “And what are you going to do about it if we do?” He laughed and turned his head to spit out a glob of brown tobacco.
Amanda screamed. “Oh my, God, please just let her alone.”
Rage surged through Rebecca’s bloodstream. “I’ll fucking kick your ass.” She swung at the short, pudgy man, but he blocked the punch with his gun. “Ouch.” Her knuckles bled from the impact with the metal. While she reached for her injured hand, the man socked her hard in the belly, knocking her to the ground.
“Nice job, Doug. Let’s see that ag
ain.”
Rebecca peeled herself up from the sticky mud. She wiped glop from her lips as Doug grabbed her around the back.
“I wouldn’t try that again if I was you,” said Doug. “If you take another swipe at me, I’ll gun butt you.”
“Hey, wait a minute, Doug. She can’t be alone. I want you and Dan to sweep the area and find whoever’s with her,” said another man. “I’ll cover her while you’re gone.”
The man with long dark hair and a scarred, misshapen mouth gripped Rebecca by the arm.
Dan gave Tom a shove. “Grant—keep an eye on him.” The skinny blond-haired man—so emaciated he looked like a drug addict—clenched his teeth and released the safety latch on his weapon.
“Okay, I’m ready, how about you?”
“Sure, let’s go.” The dark-haired Dan leered at Rebecca. “Save some of her for me will you, Grant?”
“No problem.”
Dan and Doug disappeared into the trees. Rebecca remembered the vial in her pocket. Kent had split the contents in half so she could use it if she got in trouble. She wriggled herself free from the man’s grip. “Can you just let go of me long enough to hug my friend? I’ve been worried about her all day.”
The man gave her a shove in Amanda’s direction. “Why don’t you take off your clothes and hug naked? Afterwards, we can dive in and enjoy a two-for-one fuck.”
Grant burst out laughing. “I could go for that, Burt.”
“The hell you will.” Rebecca gave the men her best drop-dead look and walked toward Amanda, one hand in her pocket. Little light leaked through the trees this late in the day. She hoped to use that to her advantage.
She had worked the lid off by the time she reached Amanda’s side. “Oh, Amanda, I was so worried about you.” She clutched her friend to her chest, grabbing one of her hands and pouring some powder into her palm. Amanda instantly vanished. “Hold onto that stuff, okay.”
She hurriedly poured some in her own hand. The instant Rebecca disappeared, she pushed Amanda behind a large tree trunk and whispered. “They can’t see us now. Let’s hang out here and see if this distracts them enough to let Tom escape.”
The Unseen Page 9
